45 Birthday Party Games For Kids Everyone Will Love

Kid’s Birthday Parties are all about having fun, and fun to me is the Birthday Party Games!

It doesn’t take much money (if anything) to come up with some brilliant birthday party games that everyone will adore. Here are the party games for kids everyone will love- and we have games that are appropriate for all ages – so loads to choose from!

1. How to Play Pass the Parcel

• Ages 3-10

Pass the Parcel is a good game to play after the kids have played for a while. But before the food begins, as it settles them down, ensure all the children are sitting in a circle. Have some pre-prepared music (the birthday person’s favourite song is a good choice) and start passing the parcel around.

• Ensure that everyone gets a go at opening the parcel.
• It is tradition now to include something small in every ‘opening’. Think things like a Freddo Frog or similar.
• Make sure the last prize is really chosen anonymously – or prepare for a mutiny!
• The prize should be something around the $15 – $20 mark that will be suitable for boys and girls.
• It is tradition to use newspaper for Pass the Parcel wrapping.

Traditionalists will say you don’t need to include a small gift with every wrap – but it is just a nice gesture!

2. Pin the Tail on the Donkey

• Ages 2-6

A picture of a donkey without his tail is put up on a wall. Each child takes a turn being blindfolded to try and stick the donkey’s tail where it belongs. The player who gets the tail closest to where it is meant to be is the winner.

Pin the Tail on the Donkey by Kate Gattey Art (Digital Download)

3. Bobbing for Apples

• Ages 8-12

The Apple Bob is traditionally a Halloween game but is popular for older kids at Birthday Parties! Grab a large basin full of water and add 5 – 10 apples. Each child takes turns ‘bobbing’ for the apples with their hands behind their backs. Whoever can grab the most apples out of the basin wins!

4. How to Play Musical Statues

• All ages

All the kids dance to the music. When the music is stopped, everyone must be as still as a statue. Those that move are out. The last person left dancing is the winner!

Hint: This Youtube video has stops embedded in the music!

5. How to Play Musical Chairs

• All ages

Musical Chairs is much like Musical Statues but a bit more competitive! Chairs are placed in a line (back to back) with only enough for every player except one. When the music stops, everyone must rush and sit on a chair.

The person who is left standing is out. Then another chair is removed, and the game keeps going on until there is only one player left!

6. Duck Duck Goose

• All ages

All the children are to sit in a circle. The one person who is ‘It’ walks around the circle, tapping each child gently on the head saying ‘Duck, Duck, Duck’. When someone is tagged ‘Goose’, it is a race to run around the circle and sit back in that person’s spot. If the goose cannot make it around the circle and sit in their spot in time, they become ‘It’.

7. How to Play ‘Consequences’

• Ages 10+

A fun game for older children. Everyone needs a piece of paper and a pencil.

At the top of the page, everyone is to write down a boy’s name, then fold it over so you can’t see the name. The paper is passed on to the next child. Then everyone writes a girl’s name. Again, the paper is folded and passed on. Then you put ‘Where they meet’, ‘What he said to her’, ‘What she said to him’, and then ‘What were the consequences.

Then each person goes around reading out their new story. It is really good fun and a belly laugh!

8. Dangling Donut Grab

• All ages

Tie a length of twine between two trees. Then grab a length of ribbon, and tie a doughnut to one end, and tie the ribbon to the twine – so that the doughnuts are hanging along with the twine. Then each player (no hands allowed) has to eat the entire doughnut without letting it fall to the ground. The first person to finish their donuts wins.

9. Do the Limbo

• All ages

A long stick about two metres long or so is placed between two people who are holding the stick loosely. Each player takes turns dancing under the ‘Limbo Stick’ without touching it – no hands are allowed to touch the floor.

After all, children have gone through, the limbo stick gets lower and lower. If someone touches it or knocks it out of the hands of the holders, they are OUT!

10. Simon Says

• Ages 3-7

Each person takes a turn being ‘Simon’ and stands at the front of the group. ‘Simon’ then instructs the group to do various activities. ‘Simon says, put your hands on your hips’, ‘Simon says, pat your head with your hands’. When Simon asks the group to do something without saying ‘Simon says…’ and someone did follow the instructions – he or she is out of the game.

11. Scavenger Hunt

• All ages

Have a list of the items that you want the children to find, then each person has to tick off the item as they are found. The first person to get all items ticked off is the winner!

This Nature Scavenger Hunt is by Crafivity Designs

12. What’s in the Box

• All ages

Have about four different boxes with a small hole cut into each for the children to put their hand into. Each child has to be able to identify what item is in the box. Ideas on what to put into the box include:

• A stuffed toy
• Cup
• Bowl of ice

13. Capture the Flag

• Ages 7+

This game involves two teams with equal members and is much advisable to be played outdoors. The goal of each team is to protect the flag from the opposition by putting it into a place that is quite inaccessible for the other team but is definitely within their reach – or at least their sight.

This is a stealing game where the players have to ‘capture the flag’ of their enemy without being in contact with any of its members within the bounds of their territory. Once they are touched/tagged, they will have to stay on that same base – like a prisoner! They can be freed only if one of their teammates touched them (if they can!).

The first team to get the flag wins.

14. Suck it up!

• All ages

Start by giving each player a bowl of mini marshmallows, a mug, and a straw. Try and put an even number of marshmallows in each bowl to make it fair. There’s no limit to how many people can play and you could even divide the group into teams for a bit of friendly competition!

Start the clock and the race is on! Use your straw to suck up the mini marshmallows and drop them into your mug. No hands or cheating allowed! We do have a secret tip though – if you can get two marshmallows on your straw at once, you can win in half the time!

15. Pass The Message

• Ages 8+

Good communication (or, should I say memorisation?) skills are the key.

Each team should be strategically formed. The first person on the line (the representative) should be able to remember every word of the ‘message’ given by the master of the game as it is vital to win the game. He should then pass it to the second person, then the second person to the third, and so on until it reaches the last person, who has to either write or say the entire message relayed by his teammates. The team who hit the most number of correct words gets the victory.

16. Water Balloon Pinata

• All ages

You need balloons, water, a rope, a cloth long enough to cover eyes, and any object that can be used like a baseball bat.

First, tie each side of the rope to anything stable, like a tree. Fill then each balloon with water and then tie them to the rope you set earlier – and you’re all set! Now, let your kids be Babe Ruth but blindfolded!

17. Lego Pass Race

• All ages

First, prepare two bowls or any container. The first bowl should contain the Lego pieces and the other one should be empty and be put on the other side of the game field. Then divide the players into groups and let the members fall in line.

Using a spoon, which is held by mouth, the members of the group should transfer all the Lego blocks from the first bowl to the other. The first person on the line will get a Lego block and it should then be passed from person to person, through the spoon, until it reaches the other bowl. The same goes for other Lego blocks.

The first group to transfer all wins.

18. Hula Hoop Pass

• All ages

Each group should be formed in a circle and every member should be holding the hand of the person beside them. Without letting go of the grip, the hula hoop should pass through person to person until it reaches the end (where the hula hoop began). Here, the ability to twist and turn is a must!

19. Ping Pong Blow

• All ages

This can be done in different ways. First, just a simple race, where players have to blow the ping pong ball until it reaches the finish line. And second, a much intense game, where both players from different teams, whose bases are on opposing ends of a table, have to blow and blow the ping pong ball to prevent it from getting into their territory. Defiance it is!

via angrybirdsriogame.info

20. Boat Race

• All ages

Prepare a basin large and long enough to conduct a boat race (a kiddie pool can do too). Make an improvised boat and place it at the starting point. By the use of a straw, blow the boat until it reaches the finish line. The first to reach the finish line wins.

via seevanessacraft.com

21. Three-Legged Race

• Ages 7+

Not all twins have the same parents! Some only have one goal – to reach the finish line!

Using any cloth about 18 – 20 inches long, the players’ legs are tied for them to act as one. With those three legs, they have to run and be in coordination with one another to reach the end – and win! In this game, it’s much easier if you team up with someone with the same physical attributes as you.

22. Bike Obstacle Course

• Ages 8+

Don’t settle for the usual. Place improvised humps, traffic cones, road signs, and the like in an open, vacant place and let your kids enjoy biking like no other!

Don’t forget the head gear!

23. The Mummy Wrap

• All ages

Put each child at the party into a group of two or three (depending on the numbers). Each group is given a roll of toilet paper. The group has to choose a ‘Victim’ and has two minutes to ‘Dress’ the Mummy with the toilet paper.

An adult then judges the best wrapped Mummy.

24. Shake Your Feathers Game

• All ages

Have a tissue box and cut both sides with a cutter long enough for a belt. Insert the belt on those holes and put feathers inside the tissue box then start shaking and wiggling yourself up to the finish line!

The first person to empty the tissue box in a specified time wins.

25. Water Bottle Bowling

• All ages

Collect 10 water bottles of equal shapes and sizes and fill them with something that will make them stand still. You can also add designs on them but make sure they all weigh the same. Once you’re done, position them as how real bowling pins are positioned and you’re ready to strike!

26. Nerf Firing Range

• Ages 7+

Place objects somewhere far enough for the gun to reach. Then let your kids learn the importance of focusing on the target to be able to hit it. It might help them in the future!

27. Balloon Dart Board

• Ages 8+

All you need are balloons, a board, and a dart pin. Fill the balloons with air then attach them to the board. Place it somewhere not high to avoid accidents with the dart pin.

28. Crepe Paper Laser Maze 

• All ages

Cut the crepe paper into long strips and attach them to the walls of your home, in different angles, and your kids might be the next Mission Impossible star!

29. Digging for Gold

• All ages

Fill a large basin with sand then mix it with candies or toys and let your kids search for happiness – with a shovel! They will treasure it, no doubt.

30. Ball Toss

• All ages

This can be played with a cardboard or a box. Just cut holes larger than the size of the ball that will be used for the game and it’s ready. Now, show us that 3-point shot!

31. Nerf Jenga

• Ages 7+

You need Jenga and a Nerf gun. The goal of this game is the same with the ‘normal’ Jenga – remove the blocks one by one without crashing the stack. However, here, there’s a twist. Players have to do it using a Nerf gun.

The tower fell? You lose!

32. Catch Balloon With a Funnel

• All ages

Inflate balloons, much better if of different colours, then have an object shaped like a cone. Using that object, players have to ‘catch the balloon’ for them to get a grip on the prize.

33. Big Foot

• Ages 6+

Prepare two big cardboard or cartons and cut them into the shape of feet – both left and right – and attach them to any sandals or slippers. On the toes of those big feet, put plastic balls using a tape. The players should walk to the finish line. The one with the most number of balls left wins.

34. Elephant March

• All ages

Mark the centre of the game field with a line. On each side, place 4 filled water bottles or paper cups with equivalent distances from the centre and from the other bottles/cups. The player should wear on his head one leg of the pantyhose with a baseball inside to stretch it down. The goal of this game is to knock all the bottles/cups down using the baseball without using both hands or legs – just body movements.

35. Selfie Scavenger Hunt

• All ages

Take selfies like you’re just buying groceries!

Selfie Scavenger Hunt is a more organized (and definitely more fun!) way of taking selfies. You can do it with friends or family relatives – or even with strangers! You just have to have a list to follow. You can download a template from the Internet or make your own, then share it to other people and make funny memories together! You can also give prizes to those who are able to accomplish it.

36. Shaving Cream and Cheetos Throw

• All ages

Spread shaving, or even whipped, cream on a shower cap. The cap should be worn by one person from the team and the rest will have to throw the Cheetos. The Cheetos then will have to be caught by the one wearing the cap through the cap.

37. Group the Loops

• All ages

It’s better to teach your kids how to classify colours at an early age. Don’t worry, if you associate ‘playing’ and ‘fruity loops’ with it, it will not be as boring anymore!

Prepare a bond paper with different colours in it (you can print it out or cut coloured papers and paste it on the bond paper), chopsticks, and a bowl of fruity loops. This game is played with a timer, and the rule goes like this: ‘You should fill every colour with 3 fruity loops in 1 minute’. So apart from classifying colours, you also teach them to work under pressure!

38. Blindfolded Stack the Cups

• Ages 6+

Just like the usual Stack the Cups, make a triangular-shaped tower by putting together the cups vertically. However, in this game, the player has to do it blindfolded.

39. Kangaroo Hop

• Ages 7+

With a balloon or a ball between the players’ legs, they should race through the finish line as fast as they can – so they can jump with joy! Oh, it fell? I’m sorry but you have to go back.

40. Water Balloon Volleyball

• Ages 8+

Have 2 groups. This kind of volleyball game requires any cloth wide enough for all the members of the group to hold to catch the balloon. The balloon should be ‘caught and thrown’ by both groups and the team who will not be able to do so loses!

41. Water Bucket Relay Race

• Ages 7+

Divide the players into groups and have them fall in line. In front of the line is a bucket filled with water. There is a container to be used. Using the container, the first person on the line should get water from the bucket and it should be passed through the players behind (without looking) until it reaches the other bucket at the back of the last person.

42. Sack Race

• Ages 7+

This can be done individually, by pairs, or by threes. All you need is a sack – and jump, jump, and jump!

Players should reach the finish line with a sack on the bottom part of their body, and the first to do so wins! This game can also be done with a turning point, where players have to take a u-turn to go back to their team and let the other team members use the same sack.

Premium Natural Burlap Potato Sack Race Game Jute Bags by Tailor Spot

43. Watermelon Pool Race

Did you know? Watermelons are hard and seemingly heavy but they float in water!

Divide the players into two teams. The watermelon will then be thrown in the pool and the players will have to fight to get it and put it on the outer edge of the pool on the opponent’s side. Each team has to prevent the other team from ‘stealing’ the watermelon from them, otherwise they will have to fight no matter what to successfully steal it.

This can also be a simple race where players have to put the watermelon from one edge of the pool to another, and the first one to do it wins.

44. Water Balloon Hot Potato

• All ages

Form the group into circle. With a song playing in the background, the players have to pass the water balloon (hot potato) to the person next to them. The player who holds the balloon the moment the music stops should be eliminated from the game.

45. Egg and Spoon Race

• All ages

While holding the spoon with an egg on it, every player must carry it from and back to their station, passing through a turning point, and the egg will then be passed to the next player on their team to carry. Take note that the egg should be hard-boiled to avoid mess. The spoon can also be put on the mouth instead of just hands.

What other games have your kids played that weren’t mentioned above?